A Second Saver
by montsky
Summary: Lucy is just a regular grade-schooler in the United States of America, but then she gets a letter from a mysterious school. Her parents are convinced that it's a scam, until someone from the school shows up to take Lucy shopping for school equipment. Her parents decide to let her attend. That's about half of it so far, update this later if I figure out how.
1. The Letter

**Author's Note** : I have participated in reading and occasionally reviewing stories on the FanFiction website. I have been working on this story for a little while and there are no guarantees as to when I will be updating.

I also will not bribe readers to review, mostly because I don't usually do it unless the author is asking for help or suggestion.

-montsky

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 **Disclaimer** : I do not own Harry Potter, nor the parts that make this story a fanfiction, only the differences and ideas which you have never seen Rowling put forth.

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The sun broke through the clouds, searching for a child. The sun, as well as many of the other ancient beings, had promised _him_ that they'd look after her. It was one of his last requests before leaving. Another was to tell the girl, when she was ready, what her inheritance was. Until then, she had to be kept in the dark—easy for now considering her infancy. But where was she?

She had been sent to a trusted individual, that much the sun had been told. Of course, since _he_ had people he trusted everywhere, it would still take some time.

The sun sent his beams to investigate everyone he could think of, asking the moon to do the same. How could they have lost the child before their duties had even officially started? At length, he thought to check the school, the strange one with the several heads. He sent one of his beams there; then the only thing he could do was wait. Soon enough, the sunbeam came glimmering back.

 _What news_ , the sun asked.

 _We have found her_ , the beam said; _the masters of the school are protecting her and deliberating on what to do with the child. They don't know who she is, only the one who is invisibly wise does._

 _Did they get the letter?_

 _Yes. They were discussing whether to honor_ his _wishes or not._

He _trusted them, and so must we._ The sun paused. Something forced him to consider how much he knew about the headmaster of that place _. Keep an eye on them. We must know where she is at all times. If you must, trade shifts with a moonbeam._

The sunbeam nodded, then left.

The sun considered for a moment what would become of the child, whether the wishes would be fulfilled or not, but pushed the thoughts away. It wasn't up to him to decide fate; he could only watch and protect for now.

The sun wished the child luck.

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It was some months later before the child's fate was officially decided by the headmaster of the school. In the meantime he had kept her moving from house to house, castle to cottage, until he could find the best way to fulfill the main wish of the letter. He didn't know why he decided to mostly follow the letter, especially considering how he usually created and followed his own design. Perhaps there was a vague familiarity that had prompted him to follow much of the letter; or perhaps it was just the 'last wish' factor, but for some reason, the headmaster had decided to honor it. The problem had been finding a suitable family.

Who would take in a young witch—the headmaster had no doubt she was a witch, for he could feel her magic—without knowing more about the wizarding world than necessary? Since she was going to a family of muggles, should they even know about her magic before she got her letter? He had carefully plotted, deciding on a course of action, aware of how similar his choice was to another he had made recently.

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A grey tabby cat watched through the first floor window of the two-story brick house as the young couple doted on their four-month-old child. The cat watched as the woman glanced out through their white curtains, up at the stars. She turned back to helping her husband coddle their child, unaware of being watched.

Only the cat and the man who would come later knew that the couple's child was likely going to die that night from an unknown malady.

The poor couple had no idea that their daughter was on her deathbed as they laid their baby down in its crib and went to bed themselves in the next room over, leaving the tabby an unseen sentry. Unspoken magic was used to make sure that they would sleep until morning. The cat continued its wait.

Their baby would be replaced with the child the man was to bring, a degenerating glamour placed on her to hide the difference from its adoptive parents. If the sick baby did indeed survive the night then a quick switch would take place again, just before one of the parents came in. The cat knew the headmaster's plan had flaws, but was confidant none of them would come to light between now and in eleven years. If they did, she was sure the headmaster had a fix for them, not to mention her own carefully laid plans.

The cat watched as a man appeared with a _crack_ and started walking calmly towards her, or rather the window she was guarding. The cat leapt off the windowsill, transfiguring into a stern-looking woman as she did. The man didn't pause in his stride; if there was any reaction from him, it was a slight twinkle in his already-smiling eyes.

"I am not surprised to see that you have been watching them," the man said, "and this time you aren't frowning as much."

The stern woman had indeed been frowning to some degree, and it only deepened at this comment. "Albus," she said, "this is twice in the same month. First with the Potter boy and now with this-" she couldn't help but pause here as she didn't know much about the child. "-girl," she finished, waving her hand at the bundle in his arms. "I highly disapprove."

"My dear professor," the man said, "what better than to keep a mother from mourning, or a child from wanting, than this?" He smiled gently.

"Yes, and I suppose this fills _all_ the requirements in the letter, doesn't it," she snapped back. He said nothing to this, only offered her a small candy in avoidance of answering.

"I suppose this is a calming concoction, isn't it," she demanded.

The old man chuckled, "Only a lemon drop, my dear, dear professor." When she still didn't take it, he popped it in his own mouth. He then proceeded to take out his wand and waved it at the window, which opened soundlessly. He then waved it over the bundle, saying "This will ensure that the glamour wears off over time." The lines in the woman's face proceeded to deepen as he climbed in the window in a way unbefitting his age and rank. She kept guard outside the house.

The old man sighed as he switched the babies, realizing that the younger one was already dead. He had hoped he wouldn't be able to find a family where this would work…

"Professor," he said, "it seems as if it will be necessary to change our last stop. We need not try to solve any sickness tonight." His heart was heavy as he said it. When he looked up at the woman, he saw her eyes fixed on something beyond him. He turned. "Also," he added, "it would appear that you need to improve doing magic in your animagus form." He muttered a spell and the father fell to the ground, asleep.

So, I don't know exactly how you wanted me to edit this, so I gave suggestions in comments and only changed one thing in the document (aside from this lovely note). I do want to know where you plan to go with this. Remember what we wrote in my beta profile? That does still hold true! After you've looked it over, if you make any changes, send it to me again. We can do this over and over and over again. I don't mind.


	2. An Early Midnight Exchange

**Author's Note** : Sorry if anyone's OOC.

 **Disclaimer** : Repeat of last chapters'.

 **Chapter 2**

It was some months later before the child's fate was officially decided by the headmaster of the school. In the meantime he had kept her moving from house to house, place to place, until he could find the best way to fulfill the wishes of the letter. Perhaps there was a vague familiarity that had prompted him to follow the letter, or perhaps he just wished to grant the last wish of the person who wrote it, but for some reason, the headmaster had decided to honor it. The problem had been finding a family.

Who would take in a young witch—the headmaster had no doubt she was, for he could feel her magic—without knowing more about the wizarding world than necessary? Since she was going to a family of muggles, should they even know about her magic before she got her letter? He carefully decided on a course of action, aware of how similar his choice was to another he had made recently.

A grey tabby cat watched through the window of the two-story brick house as the young couple doted on their four-month-old child. Only she, a divination teacher, and the man who would come later knew that their child was going to die that night, from something the muggles called SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).

The poor couple had no idea that their daughter was on her deathbed as they laid their baby down in its crib and went to bed themselves in the next room over. Unspoken magic was used to make sure that they would sleep until morning. The cat continued its wait.

The baby, soon to be dead, would be replaced with the child the man was to bring, a degenerating glamour placed on her to hide the difference form its adoptive parents. If the sick baby did indeed survive the night, then a quick switch would take place again, just before one of the parents came in. The cat knew the headmaster's plan had flaws, but was confidant none of them would come to light between now and in eleven years. If they did, the headmaster had plans for them.

The cat watched as a man appeared with a _crack!_ and started walking calmly towards her, or rather the window she was guarding. The cat leapt off the windowsill, transfiguring into a stern-looking woman as she did. The man didn't pause in his stride; if there was any reaction from him, it was a slight twinkle in his already-smiling eyes.

"I'm pleased to see that you have been watching them," the man said, "and that this time you aren't frowning as much."

The stern woman had indeed been frowning, and it only deepened at this comment. "Albus," she said, "this is twice in the same month. First with the Potter boy and now with this-" she couldn't help but pause here as she didn't know much about the child. "-girl," she finished, waving her hand at the bundle in his arms. "I highly disapprove."

"My dear professor," the man said, "what better than to keep a mother from mourning, or a child from wanting, than this?" He smiled gently.

"Yes, and I suppose this fills all the requirements in the letter, doesn't it," she snapped back. He said nothing to this, only offered her a small candy in admission of the missing requirement. "I suppose this is a calming concoction, isn't it," she demanded.

The old man chuckled, "Only a lemon drop, my dear, dear professor." When she still didn't take it, he popped it in his own mouth. He then proceeded to take out his wand and waved it at the window, which opened soundlessly. He then waved it over the bundle, saying "This will ensure that the glamour wears off over time." The lines in the woman's face proceeded to deepen as he climbed in the window in a way unbefitting his age and rank. She kept guard outside the house.

The old man sighed as he switched the babies, realizing that the younger one was already dead. He had hoped he wouldn't be able to find a family where this would work…

"Professor," he said, "it seems as if it will be necessary to make one last stop tonight. We need not try to solve any sickness tonight." His heart was heavy as he said it. When he looked up at the woman, he saw her eyes fixed on something beyond him. He turned. "Also," he added, "it would appear that you need to work on doing magic in your animagus form." He muttered a spell and the father of the baby fell to the ground, asleep.


	3. I Saw Something!

**Author's Note** : You can skip the lengthy disclaimer.

 **Disclaimer** : I type that from this point until I actually type another disclaimer, it will be assumed that I do not own anything of Rowling's, mainly her Harry Potter characters and world, and that if I accidentally offend her by writing this story, I'm only complimenting her by writing it in the first place.

 **Chapter 3**

"Shirley," the father said, "I am telling you, last night someone, two people, tried to break in and steal our baby." The speaker, a rather flustered Mr. Wilson Brangleton, said. He had modified in hopes of making him protective of their 'child.'

"Wes," the speaker, a tired Mrs. Shirley Brangleton, took a moment to yawn, "I doubt you did, but if it would make you feel better, we can move like we were planning on six months ago." She yawned again. "We should be able to find a job for you in London while I take care of little Lucy." Of course, neither of them knew of the child-switching that had gone on the night before other than Mr. Brangleton's fractured memory. "Whatever you decide, tell me so that I can pack, but for now-" another yawn, "-I'm going back to bed." And, with a kiss on her husband's check, she did.

Wilson, or 'Wes' as he was commonly known, spent his whole day at work thinking about it. He worried constantly for the next week, worry interrupting his work and creeping into his sleep. He got so little work that his boss actually started worrying about him. When Wes explained what was troubling him, his boss asked him if he thought a move to the U.S. would be good. His brother owned a company there, and he was sure his brother would take Wes on with his recommendations. Wes agreed, and went home to tell his wife. Shirley didn't care much, being exhausted from constantly babysitting neighbors' kids in addition to her own child. If she felt any emotion, it was relief at the prospect of having fewer children to watch. Within the next few weeks, the Brangleton family was packed up and moving to the United States.


	4. Sparkers in School

**Author's Note** : The chapters are only short because it makes more sense to me to split them up this way. They'll probably be lengthier in the future.

 **Chapter 4**

***eight years after the last chapter, whenever that may be***

"Mama, why can I draw in the air and no one else can?"

"Lucy, it just means that you're more special than the other people."

Eight years had been kind to the Brangletons. They had moved several times, most recently after Lucy had somehow started an underwater fire. Because of several previous incidents, she was expelled from several schools. Her parents, exasperated though they may have been, once more recognized moving as a chance to fully 're-Americanize' themselves.

When Wes's first bout of paranoia had come, they had only moved to America. Shirley had had sudden paranoia attacks, as they called them, which had created a need to not stand out. Wes and Shirley had tried hard to become the typical North American family.

Their car had been replaced with a four-wheel drive truck, and anything that could not be considered as souvenirs gradually disappeared, replaced with their United States archetype. They lived in the suburbs and had given in to Lucy's begging to have animals, buying laying hens and a milk goat, reasoning that these animals, at least, were useful. Shirley made sure to give her children responsibilities according to age. Lucy was the main one in charge of the animals, which everyone in the family referred to as 'hers'.

The family had also picked more 'American' names such as Catherine for the blond six-year-old and Jesse for her towheaded brother. Shirley said a prayer of thanks every time she thought of how she had almost named her oldest child Elizabeth. Lucinda may not have been much better, but at least it wasn't a common royalty name!

At present, Lucy had just come home from school, dismissed for taking sparklers on school property. Of course, it had just been a small case of magic, but the teacher couldn't have know that. Lucy had just been confused as to why the teacher had panicked as she had. The poor girl had used a more golden color to write her name, not a fire color. So what if it had glowed; how else would you be able to read it?

Shirley didn't have a clue how to handle it, as this was the first major incident that couldn't be dismissed by odd circumstances (the underwater fire had been dismissed as a gas leak). She just did her best to comfort her child, asked her to watch her little brother, and looked up houses for sale in another state. They were down to about Tennessee, going alphabetically. Hopefully nothing would happen.

Nothing did. Catherine came home from school, and then Wes came home from work. The family ate dinner and soon the children were off to bed. Mr. and Mrs. Brangleton talked about it, and decided to wait to see what happened in response to this newest incident.


	5. Another Letter

**Author's Note** : You might kill me for this chapter.

 **Chapter 5**

The next morning, Shirley was having a hard time keeping from screaming as she stared at what had followed her into the house. It was a gray tabby cat which had followed Mrs. Brangleton's quick dash inside after getting the news. Wes was allergic to cats.

The cat, of course, blinked rather stupidly at her, deposited a letter on her kitchen table, and went back over to the front door and just stood. After a minute, it looked back at Shirley as if to say, _aren't you going to let me out_ , and went back to staring at the door. It seemed to work, because soon the door was opened and the cat ran out and started crossing the street, only to be hit by a car.

Shirley, however, had returned to the table and was staring at the letter, and so did not see the cat die.

Later that afternoon, when Lucy and Katie (Catherine) were home from school and doing homework and Jesse had been laid down for a nap, Shirley brought out the letter. Its thick parchment weighed heavily in her hand as she put it on the top of the regular mail that had come that afternoon.

"Lucy, dear, you have a letter." Lucy looked up. "Who's it from," she asked. It was a question that had tempted Shirley to open the letter all afternoon. "It doesn't say," seemed better than the alternative, an 'I don't know'.

Lucy tore open the letter after pausing to stare at the wax seal of a five-pointed star. She stared at the cursive so detailed it was almost calligraphy.

 _Ms. Lucinda Brangleton,_ the letter began,

 _We are pleased to announce your acceptance into the Salem Academy for the Unnaturally Gifted. This is not a prank._

 _Salem Academy is a unique school, the only wizard school with the option to board or to stay at home. It is the foremost elementary and high school in the United States, and has won several Wizarding America awards. WE assure you that our staff, which includes Professors and Counselors, is extremely qualified, having twelve additional of the aforementioned W. A. Awards between them._

 _One of our Counselors will be arriving in two days' time to take you shopping for the necessary school supplies. As you will be joining our school a few years after most students, we will include a list of books to be read in order to catch up with other students. We will help provide time by taking responsibility for the remainder of your current school year._

 _If you have any questions, please send a cat or an owl, or wait until a Counselor arrives._

 _We can't wait to see you in school!_

 _Sincerely,_

 _Principal Dingleheimer_

 _Professor Halfdan_

 _Professor Smith_

 _Counselor Johannson_

 _Counselor Robinson_

Shirley honestly didn't know what to think. Her oldest daughter was… what, exactly? Some sort of wizard? Yes, Shirley didn't know what to think. She tried to come up with something to say.

"Darling, that's great," she said. She hoped she sounded convincing. Salem… wasn't that the town where they had put to death many witches? And how many people she knew went to a charter or boarding school? Shirley wasn't one hundred percent sure that it would help with the whole 'blending in' that they had been trying to do. She resolved to discuss it with Wilson when he got home.

When Wes got home, he didn't know much of what to think wither. He, too, reflected on that one night, when someone had tried to steal their baby. He resolved to test the idea of Lucy going to Academy with some of his work friends. Shirley agreed, and so the only thing left was for the next day to happen.

They day after that, the Counselor was coming.


	6. On the Topic of Cats

**Author's Note** : Since you shouldn't absolute _hate_ me. (I had a friend who did for about a week. I delayed showing my friend this chapter mostly to torture them ;)

 **Chapter 6**

When Lucy had gotten her letter, she had been surprised. Reading it had formed some confusion, but mostly acceptance, as if she had known all along that she was a wizard. She also was sure her parents would let her go to Salem Academy. All they needed to do was convince themselves.

Lucy took a tray of birdseed outside, away from where her parents were talking, in belief that it would lure her owl. In actuality, the owl was wild and preferred mice, but it had come to enjoy the girl's presence. She thought about what she would be able to do at the school and wondered if she could do any magic at the moment.

She reached inside herself, searching for her magic. She pictured it in her mind, a warm flame that kept shifting colors. She gently touched it, its power starting to flow through her. It grew and grew, the flames coursing through her veins, faster and faster until it started to hurt. Lucy tried pulling away from the flames, but they kept hold of her hand. She pushed harder and harder until, finally, she fell back, skin smoldering, onto the cool grass. _Katrina_ , the power whispered before reverting finally to the color-changing flame. Somehow she knew it was calling to her.

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The old headmaster sighed. He hated it when the Americans sent warnings. Running the tabby cat over had been one. The cat itself had been dying of old age and had had a painkiller. It was more of the fact that the cat had a pattern that looked almost exactly like the professor's animagus form that was the message. The Americans had made it clear that the messenger cat had been a message itself.

The headmaster heard a knock on his office door. "Come in." The door opened and the professor walked in. "Albus, you wished to see me?" The stern professor walked in. Her tight bun seemed to stretch across her face than usual.

"Ah, yes, Professor. Would you like a lemon drop?" She politely, declined, as usual.

"I believe in a few short years, we shall have yet another of the Weasley boys," the headmaster said. "And I believe that Hagrid is dearly missing his helper. Charlie, was it?"

"Albus, while it is nice to check up on your many students, I believe there is another reason for calling me here."

Ath this, the headmaster wore a slight frown. "I am assuming you remember what we had to do a certain summer eight years ago?"

The professor frowned. "Yes, and I still can't see why you had Hagrid take the child to the Dursleys'. Albus, do you know how they've treated him? For the past eight years…" The headmaster calmly leaned back in his chair, only half paying attention as the professor ranted. He was surprised she was saying so much. She quickly noticed his change. "I take it you were talking about another task?"

He nodded. "The switch." That phrase brought to her memory the exact circumstances that had led up to the switch itself, as well as the actual switch. McGonagall simply nodded that she understood which job now and waited for him to continue.

"I assume you know that the family moved to America soon after?" Again she nodded and again he continued. "The child, Lucy, has recently been invited to the American's Salem Academy." McGonagall simply raised an eyebrow.

"And exactly what, Albus, does this have to do with me?" Her sharp query pierced through the headmaster's façade for a second, and she glimpsed a sorrow-filled man. She had been around long enough to know that, brief though the glimpse may have been, it wasn't imagination.

The headmaster interrupted her train of thought. "Salem Academy for the Unusually Gifted sent a cat as a messenger to deliver Lucy's letter of acceptance. As it crossed the street heading back, the cat was hit by a car." McGonagall was trying to figure out how this applied to her, and when she did, she gasped. The headmaster sighed. "Yes, Minerva, the cat looked almost exactly like your animagus form. I suspect a none-too-subtle message is being broadcasted. We are clearly being told to stay out of America, or at least the United States. I fear that this is the beginning of a year of arguing."

With that, the discussion moved to O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s, and then to the preparations for the summer. After McGonagall left, Dumbledore pulled out a piece of parchment. The headmaster had a lot of writing to do.

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When Lucy got home the next day, she found Shirley smiling. Wes had called from work and said it was okay for Lucy to go to the Academy, and she could even board there if she wanted. Lucy did, of course, love her family, but she decided that she would love to stay at the school

All that was left was for the Counselor to arrive, which wouldn't happen until the next day.


	7. TAXI!

**Author's Note** : Added a 'Lucy' part to the last chapter if no one's read it. This chapter is where the fun begins.

 **Chapter 7**

It was finally Friday. The last day Lucy would be going to a non-magical school. She was bored with the lessons; her nerves not allowing her to pay attention. Instead, she tried switching the color of the ink in her pencil. She had secretly turned it into a quill pen the other night, but had forgotten about changing an eraser into an inkwell. As a result, she had put a regular pen's ink cartridge inside and out of boredom decided she'd keep switching colors. No one noticed. It wasn't like it would harm her social reputation if anyone did.

Her teacher, however, was oblivious to her isolation, and that morning had insisted they all say goodbye to her as it was her last day. The looks of surprise on her classmates' faces had become speedily replaced with looks of apathy and monotony. Some might have looked slightly joyous at the announcement, but other than her teacher, slight to no interest was about the only thing she got.

Her still-oblivious teacher had sent them all out to recess early to play farewell games in which the person leaving was excluded. Again, not much of a change.

Finally, when the class had come in and things had just begun to go right, things had plummeted from the bottom of the hill into the gutter. Apparently one of the boys was saying it sucked that the one person that had gotten extra recess had been excluded from the games, and the teacher had overheard. They had ignored the list of schoolwork that needed to be done and played games that Lucy was forced to join.

Eventually things had calmed down and Lucy had been included enough class to continue on its regular schedule. Which left her doodling and writing with her quill pen. When school got out she ran to the bus and got on. She didn't want to talk to anyone, so it was good that none of the children boarding the bus had any inclination to sit next to her.

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The Counselor arrived at four o'clock, sharp, and walked up the steps to the house. It was an interesting thing that this specific counselor had been chosen for this particular assignment. He was the Counselor that was usually called on as an escort for the most dangerous prisoners. In addition to his knowledge in magic, he had training in almost every weapon known to man. Instead of the traditional wizards' robes that most of the staff wore, he was wearing a mix between Kevlar and medieval armor, including thick steel-toed boots. He carried a sword at his side and had guns and several other small weapons concealed about his person. On the inside of his left wrist was a holster for his wand, easily accessible in a crisis.

It was an interesting thing for him to walk up to a non-magical family's house, regardless of how many there were in America. He didn't understand why he was there, supposed to take a young child shopping, when there were several prisoner transfers he could be supervising. He hated shopping. The only thing keeping him on this job was the curiosity of him being asked to do it in the first place. He knocked on the door.

It took a few seconds, but the door was opened onto a blonde woman. Her blue eyes scanned him and took him in, pausing a moment on his sword. He could see that she was going to need to read the letter for 'special circumstances' like this one.

"You Mrs. Brangleton?" She nodded. "I'm here to take Lucy shopping for school supplies. I know it's a little early in the year for it, but the headmaster wants her studying to catch up with the other students. Here's a letter the principal sent you with how to contact him," _and to make you more trusting of our staff,_ he mentally added.

"Yes," the blonde woman accepted the letter. "She'll be right out." The woman didn't seem eager to invite him in, so he didn't press. Instead, he stepped back so that she didn't feel guilty when she closed the door to keep the flies of an early summer out.

As he waited, he looked around the yard. The lawn was a lush green, recently mowed in straight lines parallel to the front of the house. There were flowers in a strip along the house, and hedges bordering the small driveway. He idly wondered if they paid someone to keep their yard immaculate, or if they did it themselves.

He noted the absence of trees, an unusual thing. Definitely not a wizard community, but perhaps they had a tree in the back. Although, since it was a non-magical community, and he hadn't lived in one for years, he couldn't really have any expectations.

The house itself was freshly painted, giving the idea of money and giving more credence to the theory of them paying to have their yard worked on.

The calm yellow of the house went well with the white two-car garage, and highlighted the buds on the annual, not-yet-bloomed flowers. He would have to ask what kind they were for his wife.

When the door finally opened, it revealed a small child with dark brown hair and eyes a shade of green rivaling where the shadows fell on the lawn. She carried a blue backpack that he could immediately see wouldn't hold everything. He saw no use in having her carry around something he'd just have to replace.

"Why don't you leave your bag here? It ain't gonna be able ta carry everything you need for school." The little girl nodded and vanished inside for a second. She reappeared quickly without the bag.

"Let's go, the," the Counselor said. She nodded, and he started to wonder if he was asked to this assignment because she was mute. Either way, he had to focus on getting magical transportation to the network of roads representing the magical side of Salem. Of course, he didn't have to go that far, but the best wand-makers in the Americas took up shop there.

He walked up the neighborhood road a little ways and stopped. The girl had followed him, luckily. He held his right hand over the road, but nothing happened. He sighed and remembered that the right-hand think only worked in Great Britain. Instead, he whistled and yelled "TAXI!"

Immediately dots of light whizzed down the street towards them. The Counselor looked donw at the little girls. She stared at them and jumped when they stopped in front of her. The headlights did a quick flip in the air and then just held still, expectantly. Lucy just stared at them. The Counselor tapped his foot, waiting.

HOOOOONK! Lucy jumped as the yellow body of a cab zoomed in to view. The only thing odd about it, other than the unattached headlights, was the brooms that replaced the wheels. The wheel wells had been shaped specifically for brooms of varying sizes, and it appeared that the brooms themselves could be replaced.

The cab's passenger-side window rolled down. Lucy was surprised to see a cat in the driver's seat. The Counselor had to lean down to see past the passenger side and into the driver's seat. "Oh, hi, Max," he said. "You good to take us to Salem?" The cat nodded, "As long as you pay the usual fare." The cat paused. "I _assume_ that you know what I'm talking about." The Counselor nodded. He knew all right. Lucy looked confused, but the Counselor decided to not directly address her wonderings. Instead, he tossed a couple of short cants through the window.

The door to the cab popped open as the window rolled up. He motioned for Lucy to enter and slid in after her. As soon as the door closed, they whizzed off.


	8. Colorful Curtains

**Author's Note** : The machine is technically an old hay rake, if anyone wanted to look it up. Oh, I will also NEVER update on Sundays. Any other day, sure, and I may take some bribes, but never Sunday.

 **Chapter 8**

Lucy gulped as the cab jerked away from the curb, flying at unimaginable speeds. She wished it wasn't a cat driving, swerving along the roads and in between cars. She tried to look on the positive side. They didn't hit any potholes! She tried to pull on her magic, to make the ride just a little smoother, when she saw something up ahead that made her freeze.

Up ahead, an accident was taking place. Lucy watched it as if in slow motion as a car lost control and swerved into several others before heading straight towards them. She gasped, and then her heart was forced down to her stomach as the taxi launched into the air, over the car crash. She felt she could finally breathe again once the taxi went back to a normal driving height.

For the rest of the ride, everything was relatively calm, because no matter how much they were jerked around, nothing else appeared near-death in comparison.

It was only after the cab dropped them off in front of a field that Lucy wondered how no cops had seen them.

.

At first, Lucy thought they'd have to walk several miles. She was surprised when, instead of starting to walk along the road, the man she was with, _a Counselor_ , she reminded herself, headed as if to cut through the field. She followed him—he was her only way home—as he walked to the dirt road for tractors and stopped beside a rusty, obsolete piece of machinery. It had a seat on top of a long pole that was set perpendicular to the way a person would sit. Half-circles jutted out like rooster tails behind it.

She watched as the Counselor grabbed a nearby stick, no, pulled it out of his left sleeve, and tapped the thing's seat. He started at the center hole in the seat and went in a circular pattern outwards. When he finished, a strong wind gusted through the field, surprisingly strong enough to turn the old metal machinery on its side, with the very long bar straight up in the air. Lucy was even more surprised when none of the golden strands in the field, nor anything else, seemed affected by the wind. Her attention was then distracted as a shimmer started in the half-circles that now reached well above her height.

The shimmer flowed, pale colors flickering, as a white curtain solidified. Sparks of color still flitted across when the counselor walked over to it and held the curtain open for her. She walked through, glimpsing golden grain through red brick alley. The red brick solidified, and she looked back through the curtain in one of the alley walls, watching the Counselor as he followed, the curtain closing behind them. She could almost hear the wind calm down and the rusty machine thump back onto the ground.

She turned to the side, following the Counselor, and prepared herself for the bustle of the city she was about to gaze upon.


	9. Artichokes and Worm Souls

**Author's Note** : Envision the stereotypical old 'wild west' town or something.

 **Chapter 9**

As they rounded the corner, Lucy couldn't believe what she saw. The streets were a mix of red cobblestone and brown-gray dirt, bustling with wooden carts and people dressed in flamboyant colors. The shops were styled in wood and brick, wth the tallest at two stories. There was a wooden porch in front of all the buildings, yielding only for alleyways and offshoot roads. The wood and bricks themselves had been antiqued over the course of 300 years. Lucy dd quick math and found the town older than the country of its residence.

She stared at the lettering on the buildings, all painted and styled as unique and appealing as possible. One of them announced a dessert parlor in bold, swirling script, advertising cookies, ice cream, and snow cones. Just across the street was Tollhouse Inn, claiming fame as the "home of the first chocolate chip cookie." Another, a barbecue grill with hamburgers and hotdogs, advertised deep-fried Twinkies among other things. The food places just seemed to be a small section of the town.

Farther up the main road were other clothing stores, while in the other direction, there were book stores. Everywhere was advertising reasons to go there instead of somewhere else. It was almost too much for the eight-year-old girl to take in. Luckily, the Counselor seemed to know his way around, as well as everything she needed.

They started out in the clothing section of town, where they had measurements made, 'just in case' she was ready to go to Salem Academy that fall; if she was, adjustments would be made later. Lucy mostly found it interesting that the tape measures flew around on their own, color coded to each quill pen scribbling on pads of paper.

The young man who owned the shop flew about, checking the work and measurements of the bewitched utensils to his own. His fiery red hair blazed about the shop, hard to keep track of, until he bustled up with a single piece of paper, proclaiming them her 'starting measurements' that would need to be updated in order to get her growth rate, in order to calculate how deep the hems should be so they'd be fully let out at the end of the school year. Apparently it was easier than doing gradual-growing spells, for which the same calculations would be made anyway.

Once they left the clothing places behind, they went to a place with several apothecaries, each trying to either be too gloomy or too cheery. She was led into one of the too-cheery ones. It was decorated with bright colors and cheery music, each of the walls a different color with a blown up picture of the plant the dye came from on it. Who knew that an apothecary could have so many walls?

The Counselor, whose name she had learned by now was Nick, seemed interested in a few dried plants labeled 'new' on a display table. He picked a few, and then wandered through the tall, stuffy wooden aisles collecting more things, including pearls, and put them in tiny separate bags. He then grabbed a box labeled 'Kit: First Three Years at S.A.' Grabbing a few additional herbs, he went over to the register. Lucy kept wandering. It seemed the deeper she went into the shop, the queerer the things became. While the ingredients at the front of the shop had been things like 'Rosemary, Crushed,' 'Thyme, Whole Leaves,' and 'Pearls, in Halves,' she was now encountering things like 'Bat Liver, Dried,' 'Worm Souls, Crushed,' and 'Artichokes, Powdered.' None of those sounded very good.

At seeing 'Warthog Tusks, Whole,' Lucy decided to head back to the front of the shop. It was then that Lucy remembered why it wasn't the smartest thing to run off when your ride/navigator was checking out. After searching the entire shop, she still couldn't find him.

Knowing she should probably stay in the same place, she weighed her options. Glancing one more time down a crooked isle and getting a glimpse of some sort of pickled eye, she decided to give up what she was supposed to do and leave the eerily cheery place.


End file.
